Thursday, March 28, 2013

One of the aspects of the shul rabbinate I miss most, oddly enough, were the hospital visits. Many of them were wrenching, of course, but I miss them because

1) They were ways to help people in a concrete way,* and

2) They had a profound impact on me, as a person. Seeing what you see there, both from the people you visit and from others, will change anyone with a heart.

I just received a link to a powerful, four-and-a-half minute video from the Cleveland Clinic that makes this point in a way that will resonate with anyone who has ever visited someone in a hospital.

In truth, the message would apply in an office building, school or shul, but it certainly 'works' in a hospital.

Here it is:

I hope it is meaningful for you. For me, it's a midos booster shot.

* The Zohar is cited by some as the basis for an argument that one can fulfill the practice of having a third meal on Shabbos by hearing a shiur. Supposedly, this idea was put forth before the Brisker Rav, who replied with something along the lines of, "You can shlug up (refute) a shiur, but you can't shlug up a piece of fish." The same is true for acts of chesed; an insight I offer in a shiur may be right or wrong, but chesed is always chesed.